Murder in Westmanland

The page “Murder in Westmanland” tells the 1899 story of the murder of Gus Johnson by Albert Bjorkman. Apparently jealously prompted Bjorkman to hunt Johnson down at Anders G. Olson’s lumbering operation. Olson’s daughter was married to Johnson. The funeral for Johnson was held at the West Road home of John W. Holmquist who was married to another of Olson’s daughters. A huge caravan of horse-drawn wagons traveled from the site of the funeral to the New Sweden Cemetery where Johnson was buried. Johnson’s wife remarried and lived to age ninety three years.

John W. Holmquist was my grandfather, A.G. Olson was his father in law, and the murder happened in mid winter, and Johnson’s wife lived on the next farm to ours across the road. She had several looms and made beautiful rugs on one of the largest looms I’ve seen.